If Republicans want me to take them more seriously, they really need to stop electing individuals like Maine Governor Paul LePage. This is a man who’s making quite the career out of asinine comments.

His most recent ridiculous statement apparently came last week when two GOP lawmakers (though I’m sure conservatives will claim this is a story simply concocted by the “liberal media”) reported that during a party fundraiser, LePage made the comment that President Obama “hates white people.”

Because that makes sense, right? Well, Glenn Beck did say basically the same thing a couple of years ago—so it must be true.

Quick fact: President Obama is half white.

It’s these baseless, and inflammatory, comments which make it extremely difficult for me to see the Republican party as anything more than a group of hate-filled bigots who wish we were still living with the same social norms that we had in the 1950’s.

You know, where nearly everyone in this country was treated like second-class citizens except for straight, white Christian males.

Of course LePage is denying he ever said any such thing. After all, he’s a classy and upstanding public servant, right?

And maybe you might believe he never said these comments about President Obama had the sources not been two different Republicans.

Though I’m sure LePage will blame the Press Herald for reporting the story. Conservatives just can’t seem to get a break from that damn “liberal media witch hunt” always taking direct quotes from Republicans and actually reporting them.

It’s just amazing how these people continue to claim that Obama’s race has nothing to do with their hatred towards the man, yet it seems they continually seek to make race an issue. If it’s not blatant disgusting comments about his race (simply reference Rush Limbaugh’s “magic negro” comment), then it’s comments such as these by LePage which are obvious attempts to get racist white people in an uproar and fearful of the “black president that’s out to get them.”

Tea party Republicans: Where they’re not the racists—you’re actually the racist for calling out their racism.

Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to his channel on YouTube as well.